Saturday 1 & Saturday 15 November 2025, 2 - 5pm GMT, Embroider a Sequinned Flower with Nadia Albertini

ONLINE WORKSHOP

Hosted on Zoom by Nadia Albertini

Saturday 1 & Saturday 15 November 2025, 2-5pm GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

Nadia Albertini is a Franco-Mexican embroidery and textile designer based in Paris. Her interest in embroidery started in Mexico City at just seven years old, when her grandmother taught her the basic stitches for the first time. Embroidery has been her language ever since.

She pursued her interest in hand stitching by studying textiles in Paris at the École Duperré Paris and got her Textiles MA from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Fashion embroidery archival at the prestigious Ecole Nationale des Chartes, the history school in Paris. Since graduating she has worked with fashion houses such as Chloé, Chanel, Balmain, Marc Jacobs, Schiaparelli, Jason Wu, Dries van Noten, Tory Burch and The Row, among others. Working closely with the creative directors, she imagines and develops embroideries for their ready-to-wear and haute couture labels, with deep historical content. She works with artisans all over the world, from the embroidery houses in Paris, to the most talented artisans in Italy, India and Madagascar. 

With her latest projects, the week-long haute couture embroidery learning opportunities in France, Italy and India, Nadia shares her passion for the history of embroidery, while enjoying fabulous surroundings and exploring the local textile arts scenes.

Nadia’s first two books on the topics of Rébé and Kitmir were published in 2021 and the latter in 2023. She is currently working on her third book. 

Workshop Description
This online workshop combines hand embroidery history, design and practice through Nadia Albertini’s extensive experience as a couture embroidery designer and historian. 

With this workshop, Nadia pays homage to Jean François Bony, one of the most prolific and talented French embroiderers. Bony (24 February 1754 – 1825) was a French painter, draftsman, embroiderer, silk manufacturer, and flower painter. A talented artist, his designs include studies of a dress and mantle proposed for the wearing of Josephine de Beauharnais at the coronation of Napoleon. Bony was active before, during and after the French Revolution, also designing fabrics for Marie Antoinette, Empress Marie Louise and Napoleon himself. Through this workshop Nadia puts his name in the spotlight once again. 

The floral motif is inspired by one of his embroidered samples originally thought for a court dress. This was most probably made in Lyon, circa 1800. The gros de Tours cream lamé silver base is embellished with sequins and polychrome silk. The border is decorated with garlands of flowers and leaves and enhanced with cabochons of moonstones and amethyst-colored glass set with cannetille. Nadia will take you on a journey to discover the Lyon embroidery industry, this beautiful work and how she has translated it to become a sequined embellished flower. This is perfect to be used as an appliqué or a brooch on an evening jacket or coat during the holiday season.

What You'll Learn
You will receive the floral pattern already printed on a black felt base, designed to fit a 18cm-20cm hoop. We will embellish this flower, its leaves and branches with cotton mouliné, viscose yarn, silk yarn and gold metal braid, using simple yet effective stitches like running stitch, back stitch, some French knots and couching stitch. We will combine this with various types of sequins, sew-on gold Swarovski crystals and small white pearls.

What's Provided in Your Workshop Pack:

• Printed black felt panel with the Bony-inspired floral design 
• DMC cotton mouliné yarn in green
• Au vers à soie pink silk embroidery floss
• Beige viscose thread   
• Sew-on gold Swarovski crystals 
• Gold metallic braid
• Textured 6mm gold sequins  
• Light pink 10mm dangling sequins
• Flower shaped gold sequins 
• Faux pearls 
• Embroidery needle to be used for all stitches

Additional Materials to Bring:

• 20cm embroidery hoop or your usual slate frame
• Embroidery scissors
• Sewing thread in beige and black

Workshop Level: Some embroidery notions, beginner-intermediate.

Please Note: Material packs are shipped on an insured, trackable delivery service. Any customs duties, delays, lost or undeliverable packages are the responsibility of the customer. Once a material pack leaves the workshop tutors' hands with a tracking number, the seller has no further obligation to the buyer.

If we reach capacity, we may close bookings. Be mindful that we must close bookings at least 2 weeks before the workshop, in order to ship material packs. We cannot accept bookings within the 2 weeks leading up to the workshop, because you will not receive materials pack in time. Book now to avoid disappointment.

Workshop recording
The workshop will be recorded and the recording will be shared with you after the workshop. Please allow 7 working days for us to send you the recording.



Workshop Cancellation Policy

All places reserved for workshops are non-refundable. However, if you let us know you are not able to attend a workshop you have booked at least two weeks before the event, we will offer a credit note.

If you require additional information about this workshop please contact the events team, events@selvedge.org.

Portrait Image Credit: Beryl Libault 

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